Maiden in the Golden House
by Innocent-Diamond
Summary: A poor family background led to poor life decisions, but he still agreed to help a conman steal a lonely heiress's inheritance in return for partial profits. Convincing her to fall in love with the conman's disguise seemed easy, but resisting his own attraction to her was not.
1. One Desperate Look

It was a cold, dark winter day when the young lady's only living relatives told her that they would be returning home.

Inside the Victorian-Oriental mansion where she lived, the young redhead sat on one side of the coffee table while her relatives sat on the other side. "Aunt Clara, Uncle Ben—is it really time for you two to go already?"

The blonde woman nodded and answered, "We have no choice. Alice, I absolutely appreciate all the time that we've spent together during these hard times following your grandfather's passing. However, we have family business to tend to back home as well."

"It pains us to leave you by yourself here," the teal-haired man added. "With both your parents and now your paternal grandfather deceased, there's no man in the house anymore. It'll be just you, Chris, and Soon. Have you considered hiring a butler or male worker? In case there are heavy duty tasks to complete?"

Alice gripped the edge of her dress as she saw a blonde girl and auburn-haired girl doing housework in the hallway from the corner of her eye. "I'll let them deal with it."

Ben smiled, but Clara suddenly asked, "What about that marriage proposal?"

"Clara, don't you think you might be rushing?" the middle-aged man asked in return.

"I don't want to think about it," the young lady answered. "I've kindly rejected many interested suitors because I had to handle Grandfather's funeral, but none of them have followed up with me. If they were serious, then they—"

"One of them did follow up—with **me** instead of you because he knew you might still be mourning." Clara took out a folded note from her purse. "He told me to hand this off to you."

Alice unfolded the note and red. "Shadow Prove...isn't he the one with silver hair and wearing a purple-black suit?"

"Either he was wearing the exact same suit when he and I encountered on the streets, or that he has multiples of this suit. You seem to recall him rather well."

_How can I not forget someone wearing absurd clothing? _"I stand corrected, then."

"You can't be alone forever, Alice. You're not young anymore. Think about your future."

_Why are you telling me this when you're about to leave? _

"Especially when you inherit your grandfather's inheritance in the near future."

Alice's eyes lit up and glared subtly at her aunt and uncle. "Can we please not talk about that?"

Clara stood up and walked over to hug her niece. "I know you feel really right now. You can always send us letters when you want to talk, okay?"

The redhead calmed down and nodded. "I will."

"And find yourself a good man as well. That is mandatory."

Now the redhead giggled slightly. "I promise. I'll miss you two." After Clara and Ben grabbed their luggage, Alice escorted them to the front gates and watched them board a vintage car. "Have a safe train ride!"

"Goodbye Alice!"

With that said, the young lady's only living relatives disappeared into the distance. She locked the gates and was changing her shoes on the deck when the blonde girl ran over. "What would you like for dinner tonight, Alice? I'm entering the market in a few minutes."

"Let's see... We haven't had fish in a long time. Chris, go buy some of our usual vegetables and a fresh tilapia."

"You got it!"

"Or better yet," Alice searched through her coat pockets and handed Chris some more bills and coins. "buy some salmon—for all **three** of us."

Chris stared at the extra grocery allowance in her hands and bowed at ninety degrees. "I'll get you that salmon!"

After the blonde left the house, Alice returned to her art studio and stared outside the large window. _How can I expect to be with someone that I have no interest in? They're all probably after me for my inheritance._

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

There were many streets in the neighborhood dedicated to vendors selling their goods. Portable stands usually sold vegetables, meat, confectionery, and other edibles. Some vendors either owned or rented a store front to sell larger or more expensive items, including but not limited to jewelry, fabric, and medicinal products.

A middle-aged man dressed in an average black suit laid his eyes on a gold hairpin decorated with amethyst orchids, emerald leaves, and diamonds dangling on delicate gold chain links. "I'd like this hairpin, please."

"An excellent choice!" the vendor complimented.

The man grabbed his wallet from his blazer pocket, paid the vendor, and placed the wallet in the same pocket again. He grabbed hairpin and held it in the sun to observe, just before a raven-haired boy bumped into him in the streets. "Watch where you're going, kid!" After nearly dropping the hairpin, the man put it away in his blazer pocket, only to not feel his wallet anymore. After checking all his pockets, he screamed, "Someone stole my wallet!"

Now everyone on the streets became frantic, which ironically helped the boy cut through the crowds to take a shortcut to his destination. After entering some obscure alleyways, he arrived in front of plain door in the wall and knocked carefully. "I'm back."

Inside, someone looked through the peephole to confirm the visitor's identity. Opening the door was a young girl with green eyes and blue hair in pigtails. "That was fast, Shun. What did you find?"

On the other side of the door was a large living room with some additional smaller rooms behind other doors. In the corner was makeshift kitchen with a stove. There were old desks and shelves around the walls. In the center was a large table full of food, papers, and miscellaneous items. Shun walked tossed a black leather wallet on the table before filling a glass of water from the kitchen sink. "Check it out."

"Just **one **wallet?" the bluenette asked.

In another corner of the room was a brunet eating food at his desk. He placed his utensils aside and checked out the wallet on the table. "Shun brought back a pretty thick, Runo." Then he opened it to find lots of bills. "There are at least ten large bills! It might last us the whole week."

"Might last longer if you don't spend it on stupid things, Dan."

"Runo, I don't completely make stupid purchases! Sometimes you need to buy sweets to keep the orphan kids happy, especially when we encounter new ones..."

Shun eyed the brunet next to him. "How many did you pick up this time?"

"Uh..."

The raven-haired boy swiped the wallet back before Dan even noticed. "Just because we pickpocket for a living doesn't mean we can spend our findings carelessly."

"Fine. This time, I found girl carrying her baby sister. The mom died a few days after giving birth, and the dad left without a word. End of story."

"Two daughters and no sons...cliché." Shun gave Dan the wallet again before walking to another walk table in the corner. "Marucho, what are you working on?"

"Forging a birth certificate," replied the short blond after pushing his lighted magnifying glass away. "We can only hope that the families that adopt these children treat them nicely. I hope they never end up like us, but if they do...hopefully it's for a justifiable cause. Check out my final product."

The raven-haired boy sat a tall chair and held the forged certificate to the light. "Best wishes to this kid that will a new—someone's at the door."

Someone knocked on the door, but it wasn't the same pattern that Shun used earlier. Dan went to look through the peephole. "Great. It's the purple suit guy."

Marucho groaned while walking to the door. "What does Shadow want now?" He opened the door and dragged the visitor inside. "Please have a good explanation of why you're bothering us today."

The silver-haired visitor laughed and walked around the center table. "What? You guys don't welcome me back?"

"We thought you forgot about us already," Runo remarked.

"Oh come on, I'd **never **forget where I came from. That's exactly why I'm here. I have a big, irresistible job offer for **you**."

Shadow finished circling the table and suddenly pointed at Shun, who sat still and maintaining a staring contest with Shadow while pushing his pointed finger again. "Not interested. **Someone **once left this place in search of bigger opportunities to earn money fast and never came back. I don't see why we should still treat them as one of ours."

"Seriously? You don't want to hear what have for you? At least let me redeem myself."

The raven-haired boy glanced from the corners of his eyes and saw how worried Dan, Runo, and Marucho were. "Fine. Get whatever you need to say off your chest now before never see you again."

"That's the spirit! Anyway, there's this rich girl that lives in a somewhat remote area of town by herself with some housemaids. I plan to marry her, take her inheritance, and the rest is history. Her household is trying to hire a butler or just a **male **domestic worker in the mansion. Apply for the position and be my inside man."

"That's it? Why not ask Dan?"

"Because you have the temperament, and he doesn't."

"And how do **you** have the temperament to marry **anyone**?"

After being insulted by Shadow, Dan immediately screamed, "Why you—"

"Hold on." Shun stopped his colleague from assaulting Shadow and asked, "Just exactly what kind of inheritance are we talking about? Did she even acquire it yet?"

"She'll get the entire share in due time. There was a recent death in the family, so she's been mostly avoiding people. I swear I'll split the earnings with all of you."

"And why should we believe you?"

"Because I don't think I can get this done if I hire anyone else but you." From an inside blazer pocket, Shadow pulled out an envelope with a letter inside. "I've even drafted a fake letter of recommendation so that you're guaranteed the position."

The purple-suited man gave Shun some personal space as he opened the left for himself and his colleagues to read. "Do you think this is a good idea?" he whispered. "One, this girl might not have her inheritance yet, so I don't want this job to go to waste. Two, she just had a death in the family. How desperate can Shadow get?"

"Even without inheritance, you still might have a decent salary or allowance," Marucho suggested. "Her address isn't too far. In fact, you get to live there and not need to commute back here every day."

"Do you realize that living on the premises means I won't earn as much disposable income?"

Dan laid the side of his face on the table and sighed loudly. "Shun, please just accept this. Once it's done, we won't see need to see Shadow ever again."

"Dan's right," Runo affirmed. "What we do isn't right, but we're on a really tight budget here. Just think about all the orphans that give shelter to. Without us, they might still be on the streets where absolutely no one will help them."

Shun continued staring at the letter before asked, "Is there a picture of her?"

"Nope," the others answered.

_Doesn't matter. It's just another con. I'll see her anyway when I report to work._ "Consider is a deal, Shadow."_ Curse myself and my outlook on life..._

"I knew it! You can keep the letter, and I'll tell you more details later on."

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

Shortly after agreeing to the con, Shun's first day of work consisted of waiting outside the mansion gates with no umbrella and only an average raincoat to keep dry. _Why did I not bring an umbrella with me?_

Running over to unlock the gate was an auburn-haired girl with a large brown umbrella. "My apologies! I'm Soon, one of Miss Alice's housemaids. You must be Shun. How long have you been standing in the rain?"

"Not that long..." he lied. "This letter is for you."

"For me? Please hold my umbrella while I walk you inside then." Soon locked the gate and then opened the envelope to read the letter inside. "You used to work at Miss Kagusa's residence! She's a very nice person. How did you like it there?"

"It was okay. The whole family was very nice, but then she and her brothers all moved out after marriage. Changes in household dynamics caused me to be...laid off." _How the hell did I get that fake story straight without stuttering?_

"Oh my. I feel terrible about you. Do they still have corgis there?"

"They did...but I think the sons took most of them to their new residences. I didn't really tend to their pets."

"What?! They split up the pet siblings?!" Soon spewed out more angry words before finally calming downs. "I apologize. Let me show you a tour of the mansion and go over some house rules."

After a very long and boring house tour, the pair finally returned to the living room. "Soon, we've been through the entire house, but I still don't think I've seen or met—"

"Chris and Alice? They were here this morning. They should also know that you'd be coming. Maybe—"

"Soon, do you have a spare umbrella?!" screamed a blonde girl as she changed her shoes at a back door that led to the backyard.

"My umbrella is drying at the front of the house. Follow me." Both Shun and Chris followed Soon to the front of house. Then Soon whispered, "How's Alice doing?"

"Still working in the garden and murmuring to herself. She knows better than to go outside when it's raining, right?"

"She's going to get herself sick from the rain and cold if she doesn't—" Suddenly, a loud engine sound echoed from the gates, following by a door slamming. "Sounds like we have visitors."

"Is it the new house guy?"

"No, Chris. I've already greeted Shun, and he's right here next to me. Shun, meet Chris, the other housemaid. Chris, this is Shun."

"Hi!" greeted the blonde cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you." Shun shook hands with Chris briefly. _This entire household has issues. No wonder Shadow recommended me over Dan. Dan would lose his mind already. But where's—_

"Pardon me."

A redhead girl briefly bumped into the raven-haired boy before grabbing a yellow umbrella from the wall. After retying her orange hair into a neater ponytail, she kneeled down to change her shoes at the front door. She wore a yellow dress that was slightly soiled at the skirt edge from the wet dirt and later put on a gray raincoat.

It was when she took her time to open her large umbrella correctly that Shun finally saw her flawless yet distressed face. _So that's Alice... What was Shadow thinking?_

One look was all it took.


	2. Eccentric Dynamics

Alice opened the front gate and greeted her other visitor, who was leaning against his vintage car until he saw the heiress. "Shadow, what are you doing here? You should stay home during this heavy rain."

"But that's exactly why I came—to see how you're doing during this fine weather."

The redhead opened the gate wider to let him in and positioned her umbrella above the both of them. "Let's get you a dry towel. Just because you drove here in your car doesn't mean you don't need an umbrella. Chris!"

"I'm on it..."

After removing his coat and shoes, Shadow handed a gift bag to Alice. "In the meantime, here are some fresh bakery treats to keep you warm."

Once Chris returned with a large dry towel, Alice asked, "Can you get the kettle from the stove and boil some English breakfast tea for us?"

"Sure...why not...?"

Hiding in the kitchen were Soon and Shun, in which the latter asked, "Why did you drag me back in here when Alice's visitor came? Who is he?"

"The man you see in a ridiculous purple-black suit is Shadow Prove. He's one of Miss Alice's...suitors."

So Shadow was serious about stealing Alice's inheritance. "You sound like you don't like him."

"Somewhat. He's a relatively nice person, but his unfashionable suit gives me the chills. Out of all people that Miss Alice has met with, he was the most persistent one and even appealed to her aunt and uncle. I can't imagine Miss Alice rejecting him."

"That's because he's an overachiever." Chris marched angrily into the kitchen to shut the stove just when the kettle whistled. "He literally comes uninvited and brings so many gifts that Alice couldn't care less for. If you'll excuse me, I need to serve 'English Breakfast Tea' to the two of them. Be back later."

If Chris and **maybe** Soon oppose Shadow pursuing Alice, then that could complicate his plans. "What do we do now?"

"I'd rather stay out of their sight and wait until Mister Shadow leaves. Can you help me get something from the cabinet in the meantime?"

"Of course."

After Chris poured tea and arranged the bakery treats on the coffee table, Shadow asked, "Since your aunt and uncle approve of me already, when do you think we can register for—"

"Shadow, I've been telling you so many times. I still need time."

"Oh." The suitor chewed his food slowly before proposing a recommendation. "Maybe we can go somewhere later this week when the weather is—"

"I'm sorry, but I'm feeling very well, and I still have some legal issues to deal—" A crash in the kitchen attracted everyone's attention. "What happened?!"

"Nothing to worry about! Shun was helping me find something!" Soon reassured. "I forgot to tell you! This is Shun, our new housekeeper! He just arrived earlier this morning."

_You did __**not**__ just call me a 'housekeeper'._ Shun bowed at ninety degrees and greeted, "Good morning. Nice to meet—"

"That's amazing!" Shadow interrupted while breaking into a subtly sarcastic applause. "This is exactly what Aunt Clara and Uncle Ben wanted. You finally have some extra assistance around the house."

Alice stared at Shun briefly while sipping her tea, but sighed briefly before facing the coffee table.

She didn't say anything, Shun thought. Did I do something wrong? Or did Shadow blow our covers away with his 'overachiever' behavior?

"Anyway, I'm glad to see that you and your house staff are doing well, Alice." Shadow stood up and saluted to everyone else before snapping his fingers. "It was nice seeing **all** of you **again**. I'll be back next time."

"I'll walk you outside," Alice offered.

Shun kept his eyes on Shadow and approached the front door to watch Alice converse with her visitor briefly before she closed the gates on him. _How did Alice and her family even meet Shadow? He's making this all too obvious and going too above and beyond for some unspecified inheritance._

"That was a pointless visit..." mumbled Chris as she cleaned up the coffee table.

Alice returned from sending her guest off and asked, "Chris, can you come with me upstairs? I need to you come on an errand with me later."

"On my way!"

Soon cleaned up the remainder of the mess and apologized to Shun. "Please don't take Miss Alice's behavior seriously. I suppose she didn't want to say much be you arrived around the same time as Mister Shadow. She's probably still confused. Just give her some time."

"I don't mind. I suppose I came uninvited as well."

"Don't say that! At least we knew you were coming to work here. Mister Shadow, on the other hand...is unpredictable. That's all. Let me show you the backyard."

"Sure." Not another house tour... I'll never find anything valuable here with Soon holding me back...

-x-x-x-x-x-

"We're back!" sang the blonde housemaid as she skipped down the stone path from the metal gate to the front door. "Alice, I'll drop off your bags in your room."

"That would be great."

Shun was lighting the lamp at the front door when he saw Alice, who was wearing white dress under the same gray raincoat from this morning. "Welcome back. Soon is preparing food in—"

"Care to walk and talk with me until dinner time?"

The raven-haired servant blanked out as the redhead tilted her head in anticipation. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"Just help me carry these bags of supplies to the backyard. Follow me." Alice unlocked a small, rusty metal gate on the side of the house and then glanced at Shun. "You look so pale. Am I scaring you?"

"No...but maybe I wasn't expecting to meet you this way. Today was a mess." Shun touched his face and forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm probably not used to the persistent rainy weather. I swear, I'm fine."

"That's good. I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier. Chris and I were gardening when you came, and Soon gave you a tour of the house without informing me. Then I heard Shadow's noisy car and had to greet him as soon as possible."

"Why so quickly? Is he impatient?"

"No, but it's best to not leave your guests waiting, although he comes here with the same intentions every day, anyway."

"So...what his is relationship to you?"

"Don't worry about that. My life is a mess, but I know what's best for me. Anyway, did Soon go over housekeeping details with you yet?"

"She did. Not much different from what I was expected or used to doing."

"That's good. My aunt and uncle insisted on hiring a male domestic worker ever since my grandfather died, but I think they're being outdated."

"Then why did you hire me if the final decision was your and not theirs?"

"I could use extra help around the house. Plus, I feel bad that you were laid off from Kagusa-chan's household."

_I can't believe this entire residence still seriously believes this lie._ "So...how would you like me to call you by? I've heard it differently between Soon and Chris."

"Just call me Alice. It'll be just the four of us here. No one will correct you if I don't."

"Thanks...Alice."

"Everyone, it's dinner time!" echoed Soon's voice.

Alice opened the small metal gate that bordered the backyard. "Perfect timing. You can leave the bags under the awning next to the garden shed. I'll find another dining chair so that we can all eat together, Shun. "

"I will." **Now **she actually calls me by my name. Otherwise...she's nicer than I thought. Shun then looked inside all the bags that they both carried. Everything in here is for gardening use. Is that obsessed? And if she's supposedly that rich, then why has she only had two servants working at home?

-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning, Alice left her residence very early in the morning and waited on the sidewalk of the closest major street in town. "Chris, where are you?"

"I'm coming...!" The blonde housemaid finally caught up while carrying a heavy bag. "Should I be glad that I won't be accompany you **or** carrying this heavy bag? What do you have in here? Is this safe to bring with you onto public transportation?"

"Trust me, it's completely safe. Besides, I need you and Soon to clean the vicinity of the house since the rain from yesterday and last night made everything wet and soiled. Shun can go into the forest and maybe cut some logs for fire."

"But wouldn't the wood also be wet?"

"Which is why I need him to expose the dry core using the axe at home." Alice waved her hand as a man in a rickshaw pulled up. "There's my ride. You can go home now."

"Stay safe!" As soon as Alice and the rickshaw disappeared into the horizon, Chris returned home and reported everything that Alice ordered to Soon and Shun.

The raven-haired servant retrieved the axe from the garden shed and casually commented, "So many errands for her to run..."

"I'm surprised too," replied Soon. "Perhaps Miss Alice still isn't over Doctor Michael's death. People talk about the emotional and psychological distress, but almost never about the financial and legal distress. Just because you hear about someone's death doesn't mean they're truly gone from society."

"And I think you're overthinking, Soon." Chris elbowed her fellow colleague before dragging her to the garden shed. "We need to put away **everything** that Alice purchased yesterday."

_I'd better cut some trees down to use as firewood before they both drive me crazy as well._ After completing his primary task, Shun brought home loose firewood and placed most of it into the firewood shed. Chris peeked inside and asked, "Aren't you supposed to cut the wood into pieces to expose the dry core?"

"I'll do that if we're using the wood immediately. If I cut them open but not use them immediately, then the dry core will absorb moisture and become damp. I don't anticipate the weather to get any better."

"Ah, makes sense now. I haven't cut firewood in a long time. Alice has been doing it herself since her grandfather died."

"Oh...at least she has the physical strength to do that. I'll carry this stack of wood into the kitchen." _Does Alice personally do some housework because she thinks that Chris and Soon can't handle it?_

After replenishing the kitchen's supply of firewood, Shun proceeded with searching both floors of the mansion for any valuable items. _I don't get it. Shadow said that Alice has a lot of money on hand and via the inheritance. There's nothing at home besides vases, paintings, tapestries, statues, clothing, and jewelry. Very little cash in the drawers and definitely no gold or silver._

He looked out of window from the second floor and saw Shadow's vintage car parked farther than usual compared to his first day of work. _Alice isn't home yet, so why is Shadow here? But if he's parking in a distant secluded area, then that means he doesn't want to be seen?_

Nevertheless, Shun returned to the first floor and exited the front gates without being seen by the other girls. "I know you're here somewhere."

"I'm surprised that you saw me." Shadow jumped out of the trees and spun his car keys around his index finger. "Did you find anything?"

"First of all, I could see you parked in this area from the second floor windows, so you're not being any more discrete than you were on my first day of work. Anyway, there are some expensive items at home, but not that much cash or any valuable metals. Alice isn't home right now, so she probably has her wallet with her."

"Good to know. Have you tried searching in her personal bedroom?"

"No, it's locked."

"Then how do you know about Alice's clothes and jewelry?"

"Did I say they belonged to Alice? Her room may be the locked, but Chris and Soon leave their doors open. But why did I even think that those two housemaids would have any valuable items to begin with? Shadow, I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to do."

"Just keep an eye out for anything valuable, which can be physical items like 'gold and silver' as you said, or abstract items like bank accounts or stocks. If Alice doesn't even know about her own inheritance, then I'm a total idiot!"

"You already are. Also, my job isn't any easier than yours since I have those two housemaids keeping their eyes on me."

"Don't worry about that! I'll split the earnings with you once we—"

"Please go home before Alice comes back. I'm leaving."

Upon returning to the mansion, Shun overheard the housemaids talking kitchen and walked past the living room silently. "Do you think Alice will let us come with her if she does get married?" asked Chris.

Soon stirred the pot of soup and sighed. "Usually, it's customary to accompany the lady to wherever her husband resides. That's what happened to Miss Kagusa's personal maid.

"What about the housemaids stay at the lady's maiden home?"

"They serve the heads of the household instead, which happened to be the lady's parents. I wouldn't trust leaving Miss Alice alone. Ever since Doctor Michael died, she hasn't been caring much for herself. Why didn't you stop her from compulsively buying **gardening** supplies?"

"Because she knows that I don't complain about it as much as you do, and therefore **never **brings **you** to run any errands."

"Ah...we know her too well at this point."

Shun signed and returned to his bedroom. _How many more days will I last here?_

Afternoon and evening passed, but Alice still hadn't returned yet. Chris stared at the front gate for the longest time before giving up. "I should never have let Alice gone alone. Either she's compulsively shopping again, or that she had an accident. Now I have goosebumps."

"Miss Alice did **not** have an accident!" Soon scolded. "One more word along those lines, and I'm not cooking your share of dinner."

"And you have goosebumps because you're wearing thin clothing in the cold wind," Shun lectured. "Just go back inside and help Soon with dinner, Chris. I'll stay here and watch."

"Are you sure? You'll get cold and hungry, too."

"I'm fine. I need to fix the damage outside the house caused by rain and wind."

Evening sunset progressed to moonlit night, but Alice still hadn't returned. This is perfect. Why did I insist on waiting for Alice to come back? I'm hungry and cold, and the weather damage still fully repaired.

Suddenly, a horse neighed as it came closer to the front metal gate. Shun unlocked the gate slowly with his frozen hands and greeted the redhead. "We've missed you all day—"

"Shun! You look paler than you were yesterday!" The heiress hopped off the horse carriage and touched her servant's forehead by surprise. "You're practically frozen!"

"I'm **fine**." _Why is so easy to lie like that?_ "I don't mind. If I weren't waiting here, then Chris would've been here, and that wouldn't be any different."

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting." Alice paid the carriage driver before he left and walked back home with Shun. "Where are they now?"

"They finished eating dinner an hour ago. I can reheat—"

"Did you eat yet? You can sit with me for dinner if you haven't."

"Uh...no thanks. I'm not hungry. Give me a moment to set up the table. Chris and Soon are also exhausted from unpacking your gardening supplies..."

Alice watching Shun walk back and forth between the dining table and kitchen. _Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to get everything done..._

"Did you say something?"

"Uh...oh! I still have my umbrella in my hands. Take your time!" The heiress hung her umbrella upside down on the front porch awning. She was about to close the front door when her hand felt numb. _What's happening? I've been fine all—_

"Alice?!" Shun dropped everything on the dining table and rushed over to catch the redhead before she hit the ground. "Alice, are you okay?!"

No response.


	3. Unintended Sympathy

**Review Responses:**

CookieDecor22 \- How Shadow encountered Alice and her family...will be ancient history. I actually think Soon would make a STRICT headmistress, and Chris will definitely be one of the problematic students XD Reminds me of cotillion classes in certain high schools. Not a spoiler, that won't be the last time that Shun catches Alice ;) Gardening supplies is a running gag. Nothing secretive about it...but I myself am a huge fan of composting (and recycling in general).

MagicxMusicxMelody \- The fact that Shadow isn't leaving Alice alone is self-explanatory about his personality in general XD In all honestly, Soon definitely has nicer manners, while Chris is a (careless) tomboy. As for Shun...he'll do whatever it takes to secure BETTER-QUALITY food and roof for himself.

ladyluck1668 \- Full tuition indeed! I think some lab fees and on-campus activity fees have been waived or reduced because of the nature of "distance" learning. Just Google "ridiculous purple-black suit" and use the image results as reference. Honestly, Shadow has no idea what he's dealing with. I think charity balls are overrated, but that's the least annoying choice of event if you want to gain publicity.

cherry-tree-of-life \- The main issue is that Shadow won't admit that he and Alice are anything official yet! Not that it's a good idea anyway. Shun's basically a very lost and confused bystander who could use some guidance on how to do EVERYTHING.

pretty-on-point \- Shadow has some more unpopular opinions coming up throughout the story! Actually, I think "compulsive shopping" leans closer to denial (of the fact that someone has died). Yeah, nobody wants a reject going sour to the point of retaliation. Maybe Shun will trust his gut feeling...if he has one.

**-x-**

**Me: Since Thanksgiving is officially over, ION Television decides to play CHRISTMAS MOVIES again on Sundays, which means one less day of NCIS LA for me.**

**Shun: You've been watching that show on both Sunday AND Monday ever since you stayed home for classes.**

**Dan: YOU ARE EXPOSED!**

**Me: Hah, you're right. At this point, I've probably seen all the episodes already. Anyway, renewed TV shows are filming again, but each season will have less episodes than usual. Many cast members are wearing masks now, not just in medical dramas.**

**Runo: What does this have to do with today's update?**

**Me: Nothing really. There's only 1 more month of 2020 left. It's been a depressing, disastrous year. Now move on and read this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Unintended Sympathy**

**xXx**

Alice opened her eyes slowly and noticed the sun shining through the windows in her house. "What am I doing? Why am I on the sofa instead of my bed?"

"Thank goodness you're awake!" Chris rushed over first and held the redhead's left hand tightly. "You had us so worried yesterday! I walked with you to the rickshaw station and then came home by myself. You didn't come back until after Soon and I had dinner. The next thing I knew was that you fainted after taking your shoes off!"

"Really? That's all that I after coming back?"

Soon entered the living room with a bucket of warm water and some facecloths. "You didn't even eat dinner last night, Miss Alice. Shun said you had a fever, but it got better overnight."

"Why would I have a fever?" While her housemaids returned to the kitchen, the redhead continued thinking until she suddenly sat up and sent a facecloth flying in the air. "Where's Shun?! He—"

"I suggest you continue sleeping until you're fully better." Said person returned from outside and removed his shoes before sitting next to her on the ottoman. "You were out the whole day. I offered to reheat your dinner, but then you said you forgot something and walked toward the front door before fainting."

"Did you catch me while I fainted?"

"Yes...why?"

"Imagine if you didn't. I would've hit my head, had a concussion, and bleed internally **or **externally..." Alice picked up the fallen facecloth and pressed it on her forehead. "I owe you one for saving me, Shun."

"Um...I work here, so your safety is my priority?"

"Of course you'd say that, but is there anything that I can get for you? Or for you your family?"

_This is __**not**__ exactly how I wanted to obtain valuable items from her. _"Alice, I don't need anything. All that matters is that you're alive and well so that Chris and Soon can stop worrying about you."

"They worry about me every day anyway. Even with my fever gone, they have other things to worry—"

"Alice, I'm going to the market to buy groceries with Soon!" Chris interrupted. "Is there anything you want to eat in particular?"

"Hmm...maybe some echinacea flowers from the apothecary for my cold. I probably got sick when running errands yesterday."

"Will you be okay by yourself at home?" Soon asked. "Shun's still fixing the wind and water damage outside."

"I'll be fine," Alice reassured. Once her housemaid left the premises, she asked, "What's for breakfast?"

"There's porridge from last night and fresh oatmeal from this morning."

"I'll have porridge. I don't want it to go waste since I didn't eat yesterday." While Shun operated the stove, Alice retrieved a thick coat from her bedroom before entering to the kitchen. "If you don't mind, could you bring the food outside to the patio behind the house?"

"Isn't it cold outside?"

"But I want the fresh air to uncloud my mind."

"Fine." _Why does she think it's safe to be outside when it's cold __**and **__with a cold?!_ Once the porridge and tea were ready, Shun transferred everything onto a tray and carried to the patio table on the deck behind the house. "Per your request."

"Thank you!" Alice blew softly against the bowl of porridge and ate slowly. "Have a seat in the other chair."

"I can't. I need to fix—"

"What's this?" On the tray was a steaming teapot, and she lifted the cap to see a mixture of herbs inside. "Chamomile? Ginger? Peppermint?"

"How did you know what I used?" Shun asked, finally taking a seat across from the heiress. "I know echinacea is used for immune health. In the meantime, I figured I'd mix these three items together to boil a tea for your headaches."

"How did you know I have headaches?"

"You've been pressing against your forehead and nose bridge ever since you jumped up from the sofa. Don't get up so quickly like that again."

"Wow, you're very observant." Alice smiled and poured herself a cup of herbal tea. "Just because Chris and Soon do most of the shopping, doesn't mean I don't know what's in my own kitchen."

Shun watched the redhead enjoy the herbal tea and asked, "What was so important yesterday that you had to spend all day doing?"

"Pardon?"

"You mumbled 'Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to get everything done'. Pretty sure you weren't referring to me."

"Oh, that." Alice put down her tea and pulled her feet up onto her chair. "I had some administrative affairs to follow up on. Grandfather used to be a shareholder in this local company before he passed. I inherited all his shares per his will, but I don't know what to do with them. I'd rather sell the shares for profits and never attend these meetings ever again."

"Shares? Like where you get return on investment if the company excels?"

"Exactly! Did you learn that from Kagusa's place?"

"Somewhat. You learn a lot of things by unintentionally eavesdropping on everyone's conversations at home. But if you get profit over time from the shares, why not just hold on to the shares? They're worth more than the instant gratification of selling them immediately, right? Where **and** how else are you going to earn your income?"

"But should I?"

"Why did your grandfather choose to be a shareholder in the first place? And why this specific company? If he left you with so much money, then maybe these shares are worth keeping?" That last sentence caught Alice's attention and earned Shun a curious glare from her, and he realized his mistake. "Sorry. I didn't mean to assume any monetary value. I actually don't know how inheritance works, but in many cases, it usually will **not** last forever without outside income."

"You're right." After feeling the temperature of the teacup, the redhead downed the entire cup of tea and slammed the teacup gently on the table. "I really don't know what I'm doing, but I **will **hold onto the shares for now until I've done more research."

Shun refilled the teacup and also asked, "I don't know anything about your family background, but how come you only have two servants prior to my arrival?"

"That's simple. Our elderly staff members wished to retire and return to their hometown. Others chose to get married, so they moved out as well. All in all, you can't remain a servant in someone's household forever." Alice noticed her domestic servant facing the garden instead of her. "Are you sure I can't get you or your family any—"

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop asking me that."

They both stared at each other and realized their own mistakes. "Don't worry. But if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask."

"I'm fine. I just don't want you to offer me things when I just started, and we barely know each other."

"How about you take the day off and visit your family?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're right about us barely knowing each other, but that conversation about inheritance was deeper than anything that the lawyers or my other family members have told me. You should go home and let your family know how you've been doing during these past few days here. Mail is slow under these weather conditions, so go meet them in person instead of sending a letter. You're excused!"

Shun stared in awe as Alice cleaned up the table. "Wait. Let me clean—"

"You're done for the day! See you tomorrow...or later tonight. Bye!"

_Is she genuinely giving me the day off because I helped clear her mind? Or does she not want me around because it seem like I asked __**and **__know too much?_

The raven-haired servant bowed before the heiress before leaving the premises quickly. Parked in the same hidden spot last time was a familiar ridiculous vintage car. "Shadow, weren't you here just the other day? Why are you here if you're not actually visiting Alice?"

"It's my day off! I can spend my free time however I like. Now, where are **you** going?"

"What a coincidence. Alice gave me the day off to so I can visit my 'family'. Other than that, do you know anything about some local company that her grandfather used to own shares in? Alice didn't say the name, only that he passed the shares to her in his will."

"Probably some construction company. That's the big business in this immediately area. Why do you ask?"

"She was going to sell the shares for immediately pay, but I told her to keep them for now because the shares do pay back the shareholder."

"That's wonderful! Something I can inherit if out plan goes through. Anything else?"

"No cash or valuables to offer, if that's what you mean." _I know exactly how to steal without getting caught, but to accept valuables when offered? Ironically, __**that**__ makes me feel guilty._

"Not a problem. By the way, I'll be back in a few days for serious matters with Alice, so have some more patience."

"Right...when exactly do you get paid?"

"For now, you'll just have to steal whatever's valuable in that house that's easy to hide and won't be missed. See you next time!"

Shadow drove away without further comment. _Day off? More like kicked off. I can't do anything if Alice doesn't want me in the house._ Shun walked through the market streets in hopes of returning to his previous hideout, but Alice's housemaids were shopping at a stand near the side entrance.

"Chris, that's not the flavor Alice likes!"

"All these buns look the same on the outside, Soon!"

_Great, now I can't even go 'home' because those two will see me._ He pounded his fist against a random brick wall and continued wandering off to nowhere.

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

Shadow visited a few days later and handed Alice his invitation for a charity ball. "Take a look at this. The local orphanage is hosting a fundraiser as a charity ball in conjunction with an auction. Every invited person can bring a plus-one"

"I already know about it. Chris and Soon sorted saw flyers posted at the town square." Alice was still sorting through the rest of yesterday's mail since the weather delayed delivers. _More letters from potential suitors. I should just throw these away._ "I'm not interested, to be honest. The point of a fundraiser is to donate, and I can't even manage my own finances right now."

"You don't have to donate that much. If we go together, then maybe people will stop bothering you. It's also good way to relax and take a break from managing your finances. Besides, look at the date. You have a couple weeks to decide if you want to go or not."

"I guess. You'll probably come by again a few more times before that date anyway. Anything else you want to inform me?"

"Nope, that's it. See you next time."

As Shadow exited, Shun returned with today's mail and unwilling bowed before the guest, who simply smirked and left the premises. The raven-haired servant handed the mail to Alice. "This is today's mail. Not as much as yesterday's pile."

"Thank you. By the way, you don't need to bow to Shadow every time you see him."

"But he's still your guest, after all." Shun watched Alice tossed away some mail pieces from today without opening them. "You don't need to check the contents?"

"I know exactly who these senders are. They're all other potential suitors that I consistently ignore. They're clearly not getting the message."

"Maybe because you're clearly not replying?"

"Oh, come on..." Among today's pile of mail was the exact same invitation that Shadow had showed Alice earlier. "This is déjà vu. The sole purpose of Shadow's visit today was to inform me about **this**. Do I **have** to go?"

"Well...I heard him ask you already, so he's waiting for your reply. If you go, then it might be good for publicity. Let everyone know who you are so that they don't bother or look down on you anymore."

"That's funny. Shadow said that if I go with him, then maybe these other suitors will finally give up. Besides, I already knew about the charity ball because Chris and Soon told me about it. Once I receive my invitation, I would definitely attend—**alone**. But now Shadow asked, and I don't know if I still want to go."

Shun kneeled down to pick up all the mail on the floor. "What is it about Shadow that makes you so nervous and uneasy?"

"I don't know. It just seems like he's always on top of things and know every latest update in town."

"You can always say no." He extended his free hand to Alice. "Are you really going to say yes if you so have so many second doubts?"

The redhead who stared in confusion until she realized Shun was cleaning up her unwanted mail. "Here, you can toss all this away."

"You're clearly uncomfortable around him."

"Shun, please stop. You're not the one being invited." Alice kept the relevant mail for herself and went upstairs to her room. _He's telling the truth, but it just hurts more to hear from his mouth instead of my own._

Out of curiosity, the raven-haired servant opened all the suitor letters, but ultimately tossed them into the kitchen fire. _No wonder Alice is tired of reading these letters. Everyone literally says the same thing over and over. But why won't she admit that Shadow makes her feel uncomfortable?_

Chris entered the kitchen to boil echinacea tea. "Shun, did you throw the unwanted the mail into the fire?"

"Why can't I? Paper is made from plants."

"I'm not saying you can't, but Alice usually throws them into the compost bins to recreate soil for her garden. But if you burning mail gives you a feeling of satisfaction, then go for it." The blonde housemaid placed the teaware on a tray before leaving.

Shun had one more piece of mail to dispose of, which he lit up with a touch of the kitchen fire and watched it piece burn slowly in his hand. _Chris is right. This __**is**__ satisfying. Maybe Alice should try this next time to get rid of all her worries._

Chris knocked on Alice's bedroom door and greeted, "Echinacea tea is here!"

"Perfect!" The heiress let her housemaid inside and closed the door. "Chris, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead!"

"What do you think about Shun? In term of both his work ethic and personality, that is."

"He definitely works hard and picked up tasks that are too difficult for Soon and I to handle. Why do you ask? Is he acting weird around you?!"

"Of course not! And quiet down. I'm just planning ahead for the future in that case that I actually get married to Shadow."

"Oh...you're debating between letting him go versus bring him with us to Shadow's residence. To be honest, we don't know anything about Shadow Prove's background. Your aunt and uncle dealt with that when they were still in town. What if Shadow already has servants already?"

"That's what I'm talking about. Anytime a girl gets married, she has to move to the husband's residence, and whether to bring a housemaid from home—or **not**—is always an issue. I don't have any another family here, so what would be my excuse to 'come home'? And you'll all get bored if you stay instead of coming with me."

"I get that. So why did you hire Shun in the first place? Soon and I really don't mind doing heavy duty work, but Shun's just more efficient at it."

"Because he was laid off the first time, and I don't want him to be possibly laid off a second time—by **me**. I just feel really bad for him. You know, I gave him the day off a few days ago so he could visit his family. I don't know how well that went. It's difficult to tell if he's in a good or bad mood."

"Alice, don't be too hard on yourself. You can't save everyone." Chris poured a cup of echinacea tea and handed it to Alice. "Take care of yourself first."

"You're absolutely right..."

Little did they know that Shun heard everything from outside and bit his lip upon processing that conversation. _All this time, I felt bad for you for unknowing being stuck with a suitor that's actually a complete scam. You really don't put yourself first, don't you?_

* * *

**Me: What's a period-drama inspired story without any mention of herbs or natural supplements? XD**

**Dan: That's it. I'm suing you for malpractice.**

**Me: I don't even work in healthcare XD Your lawsuit is invalid!**

**Marucho: Dan, please act in a serious manner.**

**Runo: He's just upset that he hasn't seen Shun in ages since he relocated outside.**

**Dan: WHAT.**

**Shun: ?!**

**Me: That didn't come out right...not that I want to know what you all actually meant. Next chapter will feature the actual charity ball, rude/snobby guests, and Shun's first "prize" since working here. FYI, never mess with the wrong people!**

**Shun: That last sentence made no sense.**

**Me: Pssst that was a subtle warning. Anyway, a huge thank you to everyone that voted on my poll! My next story will be Romance/Crime, then! Don't forget to leave a review!**

**Marucho: Read the last chapter of My Dearly Relentless Mind as well!**


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